Proposal to Mandate Condom Distribution in Prisons Would Reduce Correctional Facility Costs for Inmate Health Care in California

In response to a newly released report on the pilot program that evaluated condoms distribution in one of the four Solano State Prison facilities, California Assembly Member Rob Bonta recently proposed AB999, which would require the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to develop a five-year plan to make condoms available in all California prisons. AB999 would instruct CDCR to use funds from its budget to provide condoms and condom dispensing machines at all California prisons by December 2019. It would encourage facilities to consider also allowing prisoners to request condoms privately from prison medical and mental health care providers and would require condom program planning and implementation to include input.